Almost all major pharmaceutical companies through Patient Assistance Programs (PAP's) give away free brand name medications to patients at no charge (a few charge a small dispensing fee). These programs are intended for those who meet 2 basic criteria, 1) lack of prescription drug coverage and 2) demonstrate need by falling within certain income levels.
There are over 1,000 medications covered by over 100 different pharmaceutical companies and programs, the application process and income levels vary between each. Each company sets the annual household income limits but the general guidelines are $20,800 for a single and $28,000 for a couple.
Many people are unaware of the existence of these programs, that they may indeed qualify for or they have extreme difficulty navigating the paperwork maze of all the individual programs. In addition, many family physicians don't have the time required or resources to provide this service for their needy patients.
Preferred Prescription Assistance functions as a Patient Assistance Program processing service where we help remove the difficulty in identifying programs, gaining access and completing this application process. Here’s what we do for you:
- Match your brand name medicine with the appropriate pharmaceutical company.
- Complete all necessary paperwork and get a signed prescription from your doctor.
- Contact the pharmaceutical companies on your behalf to explain your situation and ask for assistance.
- Stay in touch with you and keep you up to date on the status of your prescription drugs.
- Maintain contact with the pharmaceutical companies and your doctor so that you will continue to receive your brand name medicine at no cost.
- Refer you to an affordable mail order program for generic medicine.
After the necessary signatures are obtained the patient then mails the applications directly to the drug manufacturers. We do not control the criteria of any individual program, receipt of medications or dispense medications. Our knowledge and experience in working with these programs on a daily basis allows our clients to complete the process and achieve quicker approvals from the manufacturers.
The participation of personal physician(s) is required in this process to sign the completed applications and accept medications on the patients behalf at their office, if necessary.
Patient Assistance Programs and Preferred Prescription Assistance are not affiliated with any Medicare, State or governmental program. We maintain the utmost respect for our client's personal, medical and financial information that they disclose. We also adhere to HIPPA Regulations.
Click Here for Common Questions about Prescription Assistance Programs
Process:
Once each initial application is completed and approved, most companies send a 90-day supply of medications to either the doctor's office or to the patient's home. In some cases, the patient may be issued a pharmacy card that is activated by the pharmacist. It generally takes 4-6 weeks from the time of enrollment for the patient to receive their first supply of their prescriptions. Once a client has received his/her medications they should notify their advocate by calling our toll free number.
Cost of Service:
There is a large amount of time, effort and labor that goes into completing each application properly for our clients. For most, the cost of medications received usually far outweighs the minimal initial expense. We charge a $50 initial enrollment fee and $50 monthly service fee for our program.
Often the receipt of just one medication more than covers the cost of service. We are aware of the difficult situation many people are living under and have tried to keep our fees as low as possible.
General Income Guidelines: Based upon # of people in the household:
Income Less Than:
- Single-$20,800
- Two-$28,000
- Three-$35,200
- Four-$42,400
- Add an additional $7,200 for each additional person in the household.
- *These are General Income Guidelines. Income qualifications vary by manufacturer.
General Qualifying Criteria:
- *Meet Income Guidelines
- *No insured prescription benefits currently/exception Medicare Part D Donut Hole
- *Take some brand name prescription drug
- There are exceptions to each of these guidelines, please contact us at 877-445-6009.
Qualifying Criteria for Medicare:
- *Meet Income Guidelines
- *No Part D
- *Approaching or currently in the Part D Donut Hole
- *Take some brand name prescription drug
- There are exceptions to each of these guidelines, please contact us at 877-445-6009.
Renewals:
After the initial approval and receipt of medications every company requires some sort of refill or re-authorization process. Our service automatically monitors and completes this process for them. There is no additional charge for this service.
Enrollment Process:
There are three different ways to enroll:
- Log onto www.ppa4u.com and click the Apply Now button.
- Call our toll free number to enroll over the phone-877-445-6009.
- Download the enrollment forms and fax them to 502-371-0881.
